The Legend of Zelda: Brooding Ground
by Geddy Lee
Summary: A dark, evil force is drawing upon Hyrule in an unstoppable onslaught. New creatures have emerged from the depths of a dark and unknown origin, and Link's powers aren't strong enough to bring down the darkness. He must leave Hyrule to find the light...


There she was… The brown, proud horse trudging up the snowy mountain trail dragging a wagon behind her. The icy wind and dancing snow flakes whipped around the cart, freezing the wood and canvas. Icicles seemed to form on the reins due to the extreme cold.

The snowy mountain was covered in a thick fog, and the only visible color was the pure white blanket that coated the mountain rocks and trees. It had been some time since the trail had been used, leaving a good three feet of snow for the steed to march through.

After reaching the top of the hill, the horse steered off to the side of the road and halted at her master's orders. A man wearing a light brown cloak jumped set the reins down and hopped out of the wagon. Shivering, he slowly made his way to a nearby tree, the snow crunching under his feet with each heavy step.

He stood at the edge of the cliff and peered out over the lay of the land. The winter fog blurred his vision, but he was still able to see his destination. Yes, there is was… The small town of Ilindak; a small town buried deep in the mountains and concealed by the continuous flurry of Snow Peak mountain.

The man pulled the hood of the thick cloak off his head, revealing himself as the Chosen Hero: Link. The farm boy who waged war against evil with the power of the goddesses and the Twilight Princess. His shaggy, dirty blonde hair was caked with snow and ice, and his nose dripped from the constant cold weather. His sharp features surveyed the village deep down below in the crevice of the mountain.

The village was faintly visible, mostly due to the smoking chimneys. There was nine, no… ten huts that he could see. It didn't seem to be much larger than his small village of Ordon. Furling his eyebrows, he realized he had only an hour to reach Ilindak before night would begin to fall. He quickly whipped around and marched back to the wagon, pulling his warm hood back over his head.

He hopped back onto the wagon and gripped the reins. With a quick snap, Epona continued along the path. It appeared as though there was only one more long downhill stretch before they could reach the village. He deduced he would arrive before nightfall.

His village of Ordon had seen hard times recently. Hyrule Castle as well as the town market had found a cheaper source to get their goat cheese and pumpkins, which drastically dropped the village's funds. Mayor Bo had to find alternate ways of making money to keep the little town running. Link himself started his own carpentry and ranching business to add some extra funds to the village. Still, it was hard to find work when carpenters and ranchers flooded Castle Town, spreading the word about their business, while Link on the other hand could do nothing more than just post a few flyers about the market.

Therefore, the mayor had to begin trading with smaller towns outside of Hyrule. Link had found himself running all over the place lately. Only three days ago he was in Kakariko Village, and now he was finding himself journeying to a snow coated village he had never been too. Rumor had it that the people in Ilindak were extremely kind, so perhaps the journey wouldn't be too bad.

Link arrived at the village just as the shadows of night began to close in like a dark veil. He was thankful, as to be expected. His nose wasn't able to take much more of the bone chilling wind.

There was still a few villagers walking up and down the iced cobblestone streets, all dressed in winter clothing. They didn't really seem to notice him, as they all just continued walking with their heads down in an attempt to protect their face from the wind.

Link looked around for a moment before pulling a yellow piece of parchment from his pocket. It read: "Deliver to Sango's Bazaar". He looked up and squinted his eyes to see if he could find the shop. He caught sight of a sign near the end of the village that had "Sango's Bazaar" printed on it in bold letters.

Link folded the parchment back up and put it back in his pocket. Bending over and pulling Epona's reigns out of the snow, he slowly made his way down the street, leading Epona the whole way. He surveyed the town as he walked.

Smoke billowed from every chimney, and a fireplace was lit in every hut. He passed a blacksmith shop, a few living quarters, and several food troughs with horses eating from them. The huts were all made from thick Deku wood, and all had the same design. He could see children playing inside while their mothers cooked dinner. One woman nodded to him with a smile as he walked by. He nodded back to her and continued down the path.

Pulling Epona up to the food trough in front of the bazaar, he secured her reigns around a nearby post and hurried inside. Gripping the frozen, metal door handle, he pulled the door open. A blast of warmth his him as pulled the door open, revealing the inside of the shop. It seemed as though the bazaar was the main shopping center in town, as it had almost everything a household would need. Food, brooms, working supplies, all kinds of assorted items.

Link pulled his hood back and let the heat from the fire thaw his frozen face. He shook his hair to get the snow out and looked up at the front counter. A warm looking woman stood there with a smile on her face.

She was fairly short, maybe five feet tall, with long blonde hair and rosy red cheeks. She wore a long brown dress with a corset, and had a very motherly feel to her. Link gave a half grin and stepped up the counter, leaving a trail of slush from his boots.

"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes mam, my name is Link. I have a delivery scheduled for this shop," he replied in his deep voice.

"Oh of course, Link! We were worried the mountain may have slowed you down, but it appears you're quite the adventurer," she exclaimed.

"You could say that," Link chuckled, a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Well if you could just fill this out, I'll have my employees get the cargo," she stated as she slid a piece of parchment across the counter.

Link nodded and grabbed a nearby quill and dipped it in the bottle of ink right next to him. It appeared as though it was just a receipt, which Link found to be totally pointless. As he filled it out, two teenagers walked out from a back room with thick black cloaks in their hands.

"After you unload the wagon you can go home," the woman told them as she too appeared from the back room.

The two boys hurriedly put the cloaks on and darted out the door. It was more than obvious that they were ready to go home. Link finished filling out the paper and handed it to the woman.

"Alright thank you. Would you like to stay at our inn for the evening and leave in the morning?" she asked him.

"Yes, actually. Do you own an inn here?" he inquired, carrying on polite conversation.

"Oh no. My husband Sango does. He runs most of this village actually. Built it from the ground up he did."

"That's impressive. Where can I find the inn?"

Though Link was not a rude person, he wanted to cut the conversation short. He was beyond tired and was in desperate need of rest. The cold had licked the energy from his body.

"It's just right down the road honey. I'm going to close the shop up when those boys finish unloading, so I'll walk you down there," she offered.

Link nodded and turned around. Throwing the cloak back over his head, he opened the door to feel a wave of ice go down his spine. He cursed under his breath at the cold weather as he shivered.

The boys were bringing in the last load of goat cheese as he stepped up to the wagon. The woman followed the boys out after they set down the cargo. Draping a cloak over her body, she locked the door and turned to Link.

"It's this way."

Stepping off towards the end of town, Link untied Epona's reigns and led her back into the street. Following the woman was actually a difficult task, due to the fact that she walked insanely fast. With an annoyed look on his face, he made his way down the street with snow pelting his face as though it was mocking him.

The peddlers had now almost vanished into their homes for the night, giving the town a frosty and eerie feel. Link looked up in the sky as he led Epona down the street, admiring the full moon. Though the thick snow and blanketed fog made visibility poor, he could still see the radiant glow of the moon above in the sky.

"Here we are," the woman said with a cheery smile.

Link sighed and stepped up to the large inn. It was without a doubt the largest building in town. It was made up of three stories, and it appeared as though each room had its own window. It had a large wooden deck in front of it with a small flight of stairs leading up to it. Link snapped some icicles off a nearby fence post and wrapped Epona's reigns around it.

"Be good," Link whispered in her ear before following the woman up the steps to the inn. She stood at the door awaiting him with the same warm smile on her face as always. He gave her a wry grin and followed her in.

The warmth of the fireplace in the lobby was like heaven to his frozen body. He looked around the room with interest, as it was well decorated. The carpet was a royal red color, and the walls were made of a very finely sanded Deku wood. The fireplace was lined with red rupees that glinted with each lick of the fire, giving off a radiant red flicker through the lobby. There were several couches and soft chairs set up neatly around the fireplace, which were occupied by some the guests. He couldn't help but noticed the deer heads that lined the walls, their horns standing tall.

"You must be Link."

Link turned from his thoughts at the mention of his name. A tall, stocky man stood behind the counter. He was around six feet tall, and his arms were the size of tree trunks it seemed. He had shaggy black hair and a gruff beard, and his arms were covered with hair. Though he was large and intimidating, Link could see in his eyes he was a sincere man.

"Uh, yes, that's me," Link replied as he stepped up to the counter to face the man.

"I'm Sango. We greatly appreciate you making the journey out here to deliver your goods to our store. As was agreed, here are the rupees we owe your town," Sango stated as he dropped a heavy bag of rupees in front of him.

Link had never been a greedy man, and he trusted the man enough to not have to peer into the rupee bag to see if the proper amount was in there.

"Thank you," Link replied simply as he dragged the bag off the counter.

"For your troubles, we would like to offer you our finest room, free of charge. We know how difficult it is to journey through the harsh conditions of Snow Peak. Here is your room key. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you," Sango said kindly, handing Link a shiny, silver key.

Link, nodded to Sango with a look of gratitude on his face before turning around and heading towards the store. He didn't want to be rude, but he had never been a very talkative person. Glancing at the tag that was attached to his key, he read his room number. "Room 11".

Link looked up as he made his way up the stairs until he reached the third floor. It appeared as though rooms one through ten were on the second floor. He had never seen an inn so small, but it suited him well.

He made his way down the dimly candle lit hallways until he came upon room eleven. Grasping the key firmly, he slid it into the door lock and turned it. The door creaked as he slowly pushed it open, revealing his living quarters. He let out a sigh of exhaustion as he walked into the room.

The room was simple indeed. There was a very comfortable looking bed with a night stand next to it, a desk in the corner of the room, and a window that gave him a good view of the little mountain town. The room was lighted faintly by a candle on the night stand.

Link gripped his cloak and heaved it over his head. He had never been able to let go of his Hero's Tunic, and still wore it everyday. The brilliant forest green made him stick out, with his sword strap across his chest and chain mail draping out a little from under the tunic. Link pulled off his hat and set it on the nightstand before sitting on the bed to pull his boots off.

He gazed outside as he untied the boot laces, watching the snow trickle down in a dance of eternity. He could almost feel the cold of winter trying to bite him through the window. He wasn't meant for this type of weather….

After kicking his boots off, he pulled his Ordon Sword and his shield from his back and set them in the corner of the room near the desk. He set his personal bag near the bag and dug through it until he found a small envelope. After setting it on the nightstand near his tunic cap, he pulled the covers from his bed back and slipped under the thick blankets. He instantly felt better as the warmth enveloped him, soothing his frozen bones.

He reached over to the nightstand and grasped the envelope softly and took the contents out. Holding them in front of him, he slowly went through the pictures he held. Pictures of him and his friends. Of Ilia and the children. It had been over a week since he had seen them now, and he missed them dearly. Sighing to himself in a slightly depressed way, he set the photos down on the nightstand and blew out the candle. He slipped off his gauntlets and ran his hand through his hair before allowing himself to sink into the bed comfortably. He looked out the window and watched the following snow until he drifted into a deep and relaxed sleep.

Link shot at his bed at the shake of the earth. His eyes darted around the room in a worried state, the sleep still stuck to his eyes. Rubbing his eyes, he felt the entire inn shake with a great shimmer, causing his nightstand to topple over. He held himself up on the bed, using his arms as props behind his back.

The violent earthquake finally ceased, and Link found himself breathing hard. Quickly jumping out of his bed, he grabbed his boots and began to lace them together tightly around his ankles. He snatched his tunic cap from the ground and fitted it snugly on his messy hair before lifting his shield over his back. He then grasped the hilt of his sword and fit the belt around his chest, allowing the sword to dangle off his back.

He slipped his gauntlets on and headed for the door at a quick pace, but found that something had on the other side had fallen in front of his exit, blocking the door and denying him access to the inn.

He turned the handle and threw his body weight against the door, but still it did not budge. As Link struggled with the door, he heard a faint thunderous sound from outside.

Narrowing his eyes, he turned from the door and looked over his shoulder, peering out the window into the winter night.

Slowly, he stepped closer to the window, his eyes attentive to the surrounding mountain and snow. The noise continued to get louder, but Link couldn't see anything through the foggy air of the mountain.

Frowning, he noticed what appeared to be a wave of darkness moving over the mountains in the distance. It looked as though a section of the fog had turned to pitch black and was crawling over the mountains like an army of snakes.

He could hear the horses below screaming, and the villagers were filing out of their homes, torches and swords in hand. Link kept his eyes fixed on the dark abyss as it came closer. As the black mist came closer, Link realized what he was looking at; it wasn't mist at all, but a force of black creatures closing in quickly. Link squinted his eyes to make out what they were, but all he could see were a hundred eyes moving towards the village.

As the monsters closed in upon the village, Link took a step back and lunged out of the window, shattering the glass into all directions. As he fell to the ground, he drew his sword as the creatures swarmed the village, allowing Link to serve the first strike.

Pointing his sword straight down, he plunged into a creature just below him, causing it to shriek, its black blood oozing out from the wound. It twitched and squirmed until Link twisted the sword, shredding its innards and causing instant death. He drew the sword out of the hideous beast and peered down at his late adversary.

It was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. It was around six feet tall, with five legs, each with razor sharp talons at the tips. It had only one single red and yellow eye at the head of its body, and had razor sharp hairs sticking up from the top of its head. It appeared to be a demonic spider, coated in a glossy black coal.

Link looked up from the demon and ran through the snow to aid the villagers, who were losing the battle quick.

There was at least a hundred of them, all agile and lethal. Link heaved his sword at one of the beasts, slashing its front leg of and causing it to topple over onto the ground. He thrust his sword into the monster's head, finished it quickly.

Link continued the fight, saving the villagers from death time and time again. The creatures could leap extreme lengths, making them difficult to hit. Link drew his bow and sent an arrow soaring, hitting a distant beast directly in the eye.

Drawing another arrow, he caught sight of another one perched on a nearby hut, ready to pounce. He quickly fired the arrow, striking the monster's leg.

The beast screamed in pain and slipped off the hut to the cold ground below. Link drew his sword and sunk the sharp blade into the stomach of the fiend. Its legs twitched and wriggled before flopping on the ground and spewing black ooze from the wound.

The creatures, realizing they were running out of numbers quickly, rose up on their legs as high as they could and let out a blood curdling screech, causing Link and the other villagers to cover their eyes. With that, the beasts turned and darted off towards the mountains in retreat. The day was won…

Link heaved an exhausted sigh and sheathed his blood covered sword before throwing his shield onto his back. He watched as the wretched beasts retreated deep into the mountains. After they disappeared, he glanced over to a slain one of their kind and stepped up to it. It was a hideous creature to say the least.

"Thank you… Link."

Link turned to see Sango, who seemed to have been cut a few times across his touch, but not severely. Link stood up from his kneeling position and turned to face Sango.

"What are these things?" Link asked.

"We don't know. We've never seen anything like this…" Sango huffed, out of breath.

Link frowned and turned back to the monster, gazing down at its bloody remains. He shook his head and looked up to the moon. He had never seen these types of beasts before, but they did slightly resemble the Shadow Beasts of the Twilight realm. But these monsters were worse, if that was possible. Link looked back to Sango, the cold wind brushing his hair back.

"You need to evacuate your village and escape to a safer region. Hyrule Castle is your best bet. You can seek shelter and protection there," Link explained.

"No. That will take too long. We will venture to Alioth, the giant city just beyond this mountain. I fear my people will not make it to Hyrule my friend," Sango retorted respectfully.

Link nodded.

"I must return to Hyrule to warn the princess of these matters. It is possible other regions have already been attacked, and everyone must be on guard," Link explained before turning from Sango.

"Link!"

He looked over his shoulder at Sango, awaiting his reply.

"Be careful…"

Link nodded and again and headed over to Epona. He unhitched the wagon from her and leapt onto the saddle. With a snap of the reins, Epona shot off like a bat out of hell back towards the mountain trail that led to Hyrule. Link didn't know exactly what was going on, or even if warning the princess was necessary, but he knew that something strange was afoot.

The beasts that attacked Ilindak were organized and came with a purpose. What that purpose was, he did not know, but he had to take every precaution possible. He could only hope that Hyrule hadn't been attacked yet…

The wind seemed colder than before as Epona quickly rushed through the snow, flicking up slush as she went. Link squinted his eyes to avoid the snow from getting in his eyes. As they journeyed forward, Link noticed that the darkness was beginning to lift and the day was breaking through the fog.

He snapped the reigns harder, and Epona picked up the pace. Without the wagon hitched, Epona could move quickly and accurately, cutting their travel time down significantly. Link noticed off in the distance the faint outline of Snow Peak Mansion. Remembering the monsters he battled there, he turned his head and focused on the road before him. He was almost there…

The morning had struck when Link made it to Upper Zora's River. Link kept the pace going and steered Epona down the long path that led down to the lake itself. The Zora warriors waved to him as he passed by in acknowledgement to who he was. Link just kept his head down as Epona ran down the downhill path to Lake Hylia.

The sun burned hot as Link broke into Hyrule Field, catching sight of the castle just down the beaten path. Epona hurried her pace more to a break neck speed, causing Link to have to crouch to avoid flying off.

Epona slid to a stop when they reached the stone bridge leading to the main square of castle town. Link lunged off Epona and took off running down the bridge to the large double doors of the town.

He could hear the bustling sounds of peddlers and merchants as he slid through the door and continued to the main square. People noticed him and whispered in conversation about the Hero, but Link didn't slow down. Making his way to the castle, it seemed as though all the guards bowed to him as he passed by, honoring his heroic deeds.

Link soon found himself standing before the giant doors that led to the castle. With a great heave, he pushed the doors open, revealing the castle court yard and the castle itself before him. He slowly walked towards the castle, its ramparts stretching up and touching the heavens in all its glory. The guards all bowed to him as he walked by, not saying even a word to him. Although, he was sure the princess already knew of his presence.

Upon reaching the castle doors, two guards dragged the doors open for him, and he stepped onto the marble floor that was the castle lobby. Guards lined the walkway like a fence of iron might, all bowing to honor him. Two guards followed behind him closely, ready to help at his every request.

As he stepped into the chandelier lit main floor of the castle, Link looked up at the balcony just before him. There stood the princess, emanating a pure aura from her very being. She looked down at him with a look of happiness and gratitude. Link stopped and looked up at her.

"Your highness…"


End file.
